Reichstag Lawn

White House Lawn

Striped Lawn

Griffith Observatory Entrance Lawn

A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants and can be defined by four characteristics: It is composed only of grass species; it is subject to weed and pest control; it is subject to practices aimed at maintaining its green color; and it is regularly mowed to ensure an acceptable length ^[1]. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn. In recreational contexts, the specialised names turf, pitch, field or green may be used, depending on the sport and the continent.

The term lawn, referring to a managed grass space, dates to no earlier than the 16th century. Tied to suburban expansion and the creation of the household aesthetic, the lawn is an important aspect of the interaction between the natural environment and the constructed urban and suburban space. ^[2]

Uses[link]

A newly seeded, fertilized and mowed lawn

Lawns are a common feature of private gardens, public landscapes and parks in many parts of the world. They are created for aesthetic pleasure, as well as for sports or other outdoor recreational use. Lawns are useful as a playing surface both because they mitigate erosion and dust generated by intensive foot traffic and because they provide a cushion for players in sports such as rugby, football, soccer, cricket, baseball, golf, tennis, hockey and lawn bocce.

Lawn care and maintenance[link]

Seasonal lawn establishment and care varies depending on the climate zone and type of lawn grown.

Planting/seeding[link]

Broadcast spreaders can be attached to tractors or ATVs to spread seed or fertilizer

Aeration is one of the keys to growing a healthy lawn

Early autumn, spring, and early summer are the primary seasons to seed, lay sod, plant 'liners', or 'sprig' new lawns, when the soil is warmer and air cooler. Seeding is the least expensive, but takes longer for the lawn to establish; deeper rooting, though, can make for a more durable lawn. Aerating just before planting/seeding will promote deeper root growth and will help thicken turf.

Sodding provides an almost 'instant lawn', and can be planted in most temperate climates in any season, but is more expensive and more vulnerable to drought. Hydro seeding is a quick, less expensive method of planting large, sloped or hillside landscapes. Some grasses and sedges are available and planted from 'liner' and 4-inch (100 mm) containers, from 'flats', 'plugs' or 'sprigs', and are planted apart to grow together.

Lawn growth, 20 hour time lapse

Fertilizers and chemicals[link]

Various organic and inorganic or synthetic fertilizers are available, with instant or time-release applications. Pesticides, which includes biological and chemical herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, are available. Consideration for their effects on the lawn and garden ecosystem, and via runoff and dispersion on the surrounding environment, can constrain their use. For example, the Canadian province of Quebec and over 130 municipalities prohibit the use of synthetic lawn pesticides.In order for the lawn to grow and flourish, the soil must be prepared properly. If this step is overlooked as many do, the lawn will burn out as soon as it runs out of nutrients. ^[3][3] The Ontario provincial government promised on September 24, 2007 to also implement a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of lawn pesticides, for protecting the public. Medical and environmental groups support such a ban.^[4] On April 22, 2008, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced that it will pass legislation that will prohibit, province-wide, the cosmetic use and sale of lawn and garden pesticides.^[5] The Ontario legislation would also echo Massachusetts law requiring pesticide manufacturers to reduce the toxins they use in production.^[6]

Sustainable gardening uses organic horticulture methods, such as organic fertilizers, biological pest control, beneficial insects, and companion planting, among other methods, to sustain an attractive lawn in a safe garden. An example of an organic herbicide is corn gluten meal, which releases an 'organic dipeptide' into the soil to inhibit root formation of germinating weed seeds. An insecticide alternative example is applying beneficial nematodes to combat grubs. The Integrated Pest Management approach is a coordinated low impact approach.^[7]

Mowing and other maintenance practices[link]

Dethatching removes dead grass and decomposing materials that build up in a lawn

Lawn sweepers clean up debris from dethatching in addition to leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc.

Maintaining a rough lawn requires only occasional cutting with a suitable machine, or grazing by animals. Social pressure from neighbors and local municipal ordinances commonly require homeowners to keep grass cut.^[8]

Summer lawn care requires raising the lawn mower for cool season grasses, and lowering it for warm season lawns. Lawns will require longer and more frequent watering, best done in early morning to encourage a stronger root system. This is also the time to apply an all-purpose fertilizer. During the hot summer months, lawns may be susceptible to fungal disease. It is advisable to take a sod sample to a local landscape expert for testing, and treatment if necessary.

In the autumn, lawns can be mowed at a lower height, and thatch buildup that occurs in warm season grasses should be removed, although lawn experts are divided in their opinions on this. This is also a good time to add a sandy loam and apply a fertilizer containing some type of wetting agent. Cool season lawns can be planted in autumn if there is adequate rainfall.

Lawn care in the winter is minimal, requiring only light feedings of organic material, such as green-waste compost, and minerals to encourage earthworms and beneficial microbes.

Maintaining high visibility lawns may require special maintenance procedures:

• Mowing regularly with a sharp blade at an even height
• Not mowing when the lawn is wet
• Removing no more than 30% to 40% of the plant tissue
• Alternating the direction of cut from the previous mowing
• Scarifying/dethatching and sweeping/raking (to remove dead grass, leaves, and other debris, and to prevent tufting)
• Rolling, (to encourage tillering (branching of grass plants) and to level the ground)
• Top dressing with sand, soil or other material
• Aeration with a spike aerator or plug/core aerator (to relieve compaction of the soil and allow greater absorption of nutrients)
• Seeding to cover patchy areas and maintain thick turf

History[link]

Europe[link]

Lawns may have originated as grassed enclosures within early medieval settlements used for communal grazing of livestock, as distinct from fields reserved for agriculture. The word "laune" is first attested in 1540,^[9] and is likely related to the Celtic Brythonic word lan/llan/laun, which has the meaning of enclosure, often in relation to a place of worship. Lawns became popular with the aristocracy in northern Europe from the Middle Ages onward. The early lawns were not always distinguishable from pasture fields. It is speculated the association between the word "pasture" and biblical mentions made lawns a cultural affinity for some. The damp climate of maritime Western Europe in the north made lawns possible to grow and manage. They were not a part of gardens in other regions and cultures of the world until contemporary influence.

Before the invention of mowing machines in 1830, lawns were managed very differently. They were an element of wealthy estates and manor houses, and in some places were maintained by the labor-intensive methods of scything and shearing. In most situations, they were also pasture land maintained through grazing by sheep or other livestock. Areas of grass grazed regularly by rabbits, horses or sheep over a long period often form a very low, tight sward similar to a modern lawn. This was the original meaning of the word "lawn", and the term can still be found in place names. Some forest areas where extensive grazing is practiced still have these seminatural lawns. For example, in the New Forest, England, such grazed areas are common, and are known as lawns, for example Balmer Lawn.

It was not until the Tudor and Elizabethan times that the garden and the lawn became a place created first as walkways and social areas. They were made up of meadow plants, such as camomile, a particular favorite. In the early 17th century, the Jacobean epoch of gardening began; during this period, the closely cut "English" lawn was born. By the end of this period, the English lawn was a symbol of status of the aristocracy and gentry; it showed that the owner could afford to keep land that was not being used for a building, or for food production.

In the early 18th century, landscape gardening entered another design style. William Kent and Lancelot "Capability" Brown brought the landscape garden style into popularity when they designed natural, or “romantic”, estate settings for wealthy Englishmen that were characterized by the inclusion of meadows. Over time, Brown turned thousands of acres in England into grassy parks, an amount of land rivaled only by the suburbs of the mid-1900’s in the United States. Lawns appeared to flow from the garden into the outer reaches of the estate landscape. The open "English style" of parkland first spread across Britain and Ireland, and then across Europe, such as the Garden à la française being replaced by the French landscape garden. Lawns similar to those of today first appeared in France and England in the 1700’s when André Lenôtre designed the gardens of Versailles that included a small area of grass called the “tapis vert” or “green carpet”. Also at this time, “lawn” in England was meant to describe a piece of a garden covered with grass and closely mown.^[10]

North America[link]

The first American use of the term “lawn” was in 1733, and did not become a fixed part of American vocabulary until the end of the Civil war in the mid-1800’s. The lands of many of the wealthy families in America during the late 18th century were well-suited to mimicking the English landscaping styles that these landowners had learned of through travel or English culture books.

In 1780, the Shakers began the first industrial production of high-quality grass seed in North America, becoming a primary supplier as there were few other competing companies. The increased availability of these grasses meant they were in plentiful supply for parks and residential areas, not just livestock. ^[10]

Thomas Jefferson has long been given credit for being the first person to attempt an English-style lawn at his estate, Monticello, in 1806, but many others had tried to emulate English landscaping before him. Over time there was increasing number of commons in New England towns that emphasized grass spaces, and many scholars link this development with the romantic and transcendentalist movements of the 19th century as well as the economic boom periods prior to the Panic of 1837 that allowed townsfolk to place emphasis on beautification projects. These green commons were also heavily associated with the success of the Revolutionary War and often became the homes of patriotic war memorials after the Civil War ended in 1865. Because of the events and circumstances surrounding the founding of the lawn in America, they became associated with the wealthy, especially once these families began to leave the countryside for the city, and eventually the unkempt yardage was blamed on the less well-to-do families who lacked the “example” of the wealthy.^[10]

In the 1870s, lawns began to appear beyond affluent properties and city parks. Most people had neither the hired labor nor leisure time to cut a field of grass with scythes, and most raised vegetables and flowers. During the Victorian era, as more plants were introduced and available horticulturally in Europe, lawns became smaller, as flower beds were created and filled with perennials, sculptures, and water features.^[11] Eventually the wealthy began to move away from the cities once more out of a desire to escape urban congestion and its perceived effects on mental and physical health. As they did so, those families who could afford to move out of the city began developing new suburban communities. In 1856 an architectural book was published to accompany the development of the new suburbia that placed importance on the availability of a grassy space for children to play on and a space to grown fruits and vegetables that further imbued the lawn with cultural importance.^[10]

In time lawns began making more appearances in development plans and magazine articles, and as suburban housing lots became smaller, the lawn was less associated with the sense of self-sufficiency it had been viewed with in the 19th century, instead giving way to a landscape aesthetic. Improvements in the lawn mower and the patenting of the first lawn-sprinkler in 1871 provided the solution to the maintenance and water needs of lawns in America, further enabling the spread of lawn culture from the Northeast to the South where the grasses favored by most suburbanites grew poorly.^[10] This in combination with setback rules which required all homes to have a 30 foot gap between the structure and the sidewalk meant that the lawn had found a specific place in suburbia.^[11]

Another pivotal factor in the spread of the lawn was the passage of legislation in 1938 of the 40 hour work week. Until then, Americans had typically worked half days on saturdays, leaving little time to focus on their lawns. With this legislation and the housing boom following the Second World War, managed grass spaces were becoming more and more commonplace.^[11] The creation in the early 20th century of country clubs and golf courses completed the rise of lawn culture.^[10]

Levittown, New York was the beginning of the industrial suburb in the 20th Century, and by proxy the industrial lawn. Between 1947 and 1951 Abraham Levitt and his sons built more than seventeen thousand homes, each with its own lawn. Abraham Levitt wrote “No single feature of a suburban residential community contributes as much to the charm and beauty of the individual home and the locality as well-kept lawns”. Levitt practiced real estate law for nearly 25 years and started a construction firm with his two sons during the 1920’s on the north shore of Long Island. During World War II they began building low-cost homes and didn’t excavate basements in order to save time, which was the beginning of their famous “outdoor assembly line” construction method. Landscaping was one of the most important factors in Levittown’s success - and no feature was more prominent than the lawn. The Levitt’s understood that landscaping could offset the normal depreciation of a home, adding to the appeal of their developments. During 1948, the first spring that Levittown had enjoyed, Levitt and Sons fertilized and reseeded all of the lawns free of charge. ^[11]

Lawn monoculture was a reflection of more than an interest in offsetting depreciation, it propagated the homogeneity of the suburb itself. Even as late as 1960 there was not a single African American resident among Levittown's 80,000 residents. Levittown is widely regarded by scholars as the birthplace of the conveyor belt style, mass-produced suburb that is now quite common. Regardless of the fact that lawns have been a recognizable feature in European residences since the beginning of the 19th century, a revolution in industrialization and monoculture of the lawn since the Second World War has fundamentally changed the ecology of the lawn. Intensive suburbanization has both concentrated and expanded the spread of lawn maintenance which has meant increased inputs in not only petrochemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides, but also natural resources like water. ^{[10] [11] [2]}

Front lawns became standardized in the 1930’s when, over time, specific aspects such as grass type and maintenance methods became popular. The lawn-care industry boomed, but the Great Depression of the 1930’s and in the period prior to World War II made it difficult to maintain the cultural standards that had become heavily associated with the lawn due to grass seed shortages in Europe, America’s main supplier. Sill, seed distributors such as Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in the United States encouraged families to continue to maintain their lawns, promoting it as a stress-relieving hobby. During the war itself, homeowners were asked to maintain the appearances of the home front, likely as a show of strength, morale, and solidarity. The lawn became patriotic. After World War II, the lawn aesthetic once again became a standard feature of North America, bouncing back from its minor decline in the decades before with a vengeance, particularly as a result of the housing and population boom post-war.^[10]

The G.I. Bill in the United States let American ex-servicemen buy homes without providing a down payment, while the Federal Housing Administration offered lender inducements that aided the reduction of down payments for the average American from 30% to as little as 10%. These developments made owning your own home cheaper than renting, further enabling the spread of suburbia and its lawns. ^[11]

The economic recession that began in 2008 has resulted in many communities worldwide to dig up their lawns and plant fruit and vegetable gardens. This has the potential to greatly change cultural values attached to the lawn, as they are increasingly viewed as environmentally and economically unviable in the modern context. ^[12]

Australia[link]

The appearance of the lawn in Australia followed closely after its establishment in North America and parts of Europe, likely due in part to the continued influence of colonial powers. By the 1920’s, this “nature strip” was common throughout the developing suburbs of Australia as a result of increased globalization and industrialization. This term is uniquely Australian, alluding, perhaps, to man’s desire to control nature. Prior to the 1970’s, all brush and native species were stripped from a development site and replaced with lawns that utilized imported plant species. However, since the 1970’s there has been a resurgence in Australian patriotism and nationalism, leading to a rejection of imported European or North American plant life in favor of indigenous species.^[13]

Over time, with consideration to the frequency of droughts in Australia, the movement towards “naturalism”, or the use of indigenous plant species in yards, was beneficial. These grasses were more drought resistant than their European counterparts, and those families who wished to keep their lawns switched to these alternatives. Many suburban homes completely gave up on trying to maintain a lawn and instead allowed their green carpets to revert back to the indigenous scrub that had been there before in an effort to reduce the strain on water supplies.^[12]

Social impacts[link]

The prevalence of the lawns in films such as Pleasantville and Edward Scissorhands alludes to the importance of the lawn as a social mechanism that gives great importance to visual representation of the American suburb as well as its practised culture. It is implied that a neighbor, whose lawn is not in pristine condition, is morally corrupt, emphasizing the role a well-kept lawn plays in neighborly and community relationships. In both of these films, green space surrounding a house in the suburbs becomes an indicator of moral integrity as well as of social and gender norms as lawn care has long been associated with men. These lawns also reinforce class and societal norms by subtly excluding minorities who may not have been able to afford a house in the suburbs with a lawn that was the symbolic representation of safety and stability.^[14] The lawn as a reflection of someone's character and the neighborhood at large is not restricted to films, the same theme is evident in The Great Gatsby, a book written by American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Character Nick Carraway rents the house next to Gatsby's and fails to maintain his lawn according to West Egg standards. The rift between the two lawns troubles Gatsby to the point that he dispatches his gardener to mow Nick's grass and thereby create uniformity^[15].

Most lawn care equipment over the decades has been advertised to men, and companies have long associated good lawn care with good citizenship in their marketing campaigns. As well, the appearance of a healthy lawn was meant to imply the health of the man taking care of it; controlled weeds and strict boundaries became a practical application of the desire to control nature, as well as an expression of control over their personal lives once working full-time became central to suburban success. Women were encultured over time to view the lawn as part of the household, as an essential furnishing, and to encourage their husbands to maintain a lawn for the family and community reputation.^[10]

During World War II, women became the focus of lawn-care companies in the absence of their husbands and sons. The lawn was promoted as a necessary means by which women could help support their male family members and American patriotism as a whole. The image of the lawn changed from focusing on technology and manhood to emphasizing aesthetic pleasure and the health benefits derived from its maintenance; it was assumed that women would not respond positively to images of efficiency and power. The language of these marketing campaigns still intended to imbue the female population with notions of family, motherhood, and the duties of a wife; it has been argued that this was done so that it would be easier for men returning from war to resume the roles their wives had taken over in their absence. This was especially apparent in the 1950’s and 1960’s when lawn-care rhetoric emphasized the lawn as a husband’s responsibility and as a pleasurable hobby when he retired.^[10]

The lawn aesthetic in Europe and Australia seems to exhibit the same cultural tendencies as a representation of order, power over nature, patriotism, and suburban family life while still adhering to other gender constructs present throughout the world’s suburbs. However, there are differences in the particulars of lawn maintenance and appearance, such as the length of the grass, species (and therefore its color), and mowing.^[13][16]

Types of lawn plants[link]

Lawns need not be, and have not always been, made up of grasses alone. Other plants for lawn-like usable garden areas are sedges, low herbs and wildflowers, and ground covers that can be walked upon.

The area on the right was not mowed since the previous autumn.

Thousands of varieties of grasses and grasslike plants are used for lawns, each adapted to specific conditions of precipitation and irrigation, seasonal temperatures, and sun/shade tolerances. Plant hybridizers and botanists are constantly creating and finding improved varieties of the basic species and new ones, often more economical and environmentally sustainable by needing less water, fertilizer, pest and disease treatments, and maintenance. The three basic categories are cool season grasses, warm season grasses, and grass alternatives.

Grasses[link]

History of the grasses used in lawns[link]

Prior to European colonization, the grasses on the East Coast of North America were mostly broom straw, wild rye, and marsh grass. As Europeans moved into the region, it was noted by colonists in New England, more than others, that the grasses of the New World were inferior to those of England and that their livestock seemed to receive less nutrition from it. In fact, once livestock brought overseas from Europe spread throughout the colonies, much of the native grasses of New England disappeared, and an inventory list from the 17th century noted supplied of clover and grass seed from England. New colonists were even urged by their country and companies to bring grass seed with them to North America. By the late 17th century, a new market in imported grass seed had begun in New England. ^[10]

Much of the new grasses brought by Europeans spread quickly and effectively, often ahead of the colonists. One such species, Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), became the most important pasture grass for the southern colonies.

Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a grass native to Europe or the Middle East. It was likely carried to Midwestern United States in the early 1600s by French missionaries and spread via the waterways to the region around Kentucky. However, it may also have spread across the Appalachian mountains after an introduction on the east coast. Kentucky Bluegrass is now one of the top three pasture grasses in the United States and the most desirable species of grass for lawns.

Farmers at first continued to harvest meadows and marshes composed of indigenous grasses until they became overgrazed. These areas quickly fell to erosion and were overrun with less favorable plant life. Soon, farmers began to purposefully plant new species of grass in these areas, hoping to improve the quality and quantity of hay to provide for their livestock as native species had a lower nutritive value. While Middle Eastern and Europeans species of grass did extremely well on the East Coast of North America, it was a number of grasses from the Mediterranean that dominated the Western seaboard. As cultivated grasses became valued for their nutritional benefits to livestock, farmers relied less and less on natural meadows in the more colonized areas of the country. Eventually even the grasses of the Great Plains were overrun with European species that were more durable to the grazing patterns of imported livestock.^[10]

Many different species of grass are currently used, depending on the intended use and the climate. Coarse grasses are used where active sports are played, and finer grasses are used for ornamental lawns for their visual effects. Some grasses are adapted to oceanic climates with cooler summers, and others to tropical and continental climates with hotter summers. Often, a mix of grass or low plant types is used to form a stronger lawn when one type does better in the warmer seasons and the other in the colder ones. This mixing is taken further by a form of grass breeding which produces what are known as cultivars. A cultivar^[17] is a cross-breed of two different varieties of grass and aims to combine certain traits taken from each individual breed. This creates a new strain which can be very specialised, suited to a particular environment, such as low water, low light or low nutrient.

Cool season grasses[link]

Cool season grasses start growth at 5 °C (41 °F), and grow at their fastest rate when temperatures are between 10 °C (50 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F), in climates that have relatively mild/cool summers, with two periods of rapid growth in the spring and autumn.^[18] They retain their color well in extreme cold and typically grow very dense, carpetlike lawns with relatively little thatch.

• Conventional selections:
  • Bluegrass (Poa spp.)
  • Bentgrass (Agrostis spp.)
  • Ryegrasses (Lolium spp.)
  • Fescues (Festuca spp., hybrids, and cultivars)

• Native plant regional selections (for taller lawns):
  • Red fescues (Festuca rubra)
  • Feather reed grass (Calamogrostis spp.)
  • Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia spp.)

Warm season grasses[link]

Warm season grasses only start growth at temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F), and grow fastest when temperatures are between 25 °C (77 °F) and 35 °C (95 °F), with one long growth period over the spring and summer (Huxley 1992). They often go dormant in cooler months, turning shades of tan or brown. Many warm season grasses are quite drought tolerant, and can handle very high summer temperatures, although temperatures below −15 °C (5 °F) can kill most southern ecotype warm season grasses. The northern varieties, such as buffalograss and blue grama, are hardy to 45 °C (113 °F).

• Zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.)
• Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.)
• St. Augustine grass
• Bahiagrass (Paspalum)
• Centipedegrass (Eremachloa)
• Carpetgrass (Axonopus)
• Buffalograss (drought tolerant)
• Grama grass

Grass alternatives[link]

Carex species and cultivars are well represented in the horticulture industry as 'sedge' alternatives for 'grass' in mowed lawns and garden meadows. Both low growing and spreading ornamental cultivars and native species are used in for sustainable landscaping as low maintenance and drought tolerant grass replacements for lawns and garden meadows. wildland habitat restoration projects and natural landscaping and gardens use them also for 'user friendly' areas. The J. Paul Getty Museum has used Carex pansa (meadow sedge) and Carex praegracilis (dune sedge) expansively in the Sculpture Gardens in Los Angeles.^[19]

Some lower sedges used are:

• Carex caryophyllea (cultivar 'The Beatles')
• C. divulsa (Berkeley sedge)^[19]
• C. glauca (blue sedge) (syn. C. flacca)
• C. pansa (meadow sedge)^[19]
• C. praegracilis (dune sedge)^[19]
• C. subfusca (mountain sedge)^[19]
• C. tumulicola (foothill sedge) (cultivar 'Santa Cruz Mnts. selection')^[19][19][20]
• C. uncifolia (ruby sedge)

Ground cover alternatives[link]

Some lawns are replaced with low ground covers, such as creeping thyme, camomile, Lippia, purple flowering Mazus, grey Dymondia, creeping sedums, and creeping jenny.^[21] Other alternatives to lawns include meadows, drought tolerant xeriscape gardens, natural landscapes, native plant habitat gardens, paved Spanish courtyard and patio gardens, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, and kitchen gardens. Trees and shrubs in close proximity to lawns provide habitat for birds in traditional, cottage and wildlife gardens.

Environmental concerns[link]

Greater amounts of chemical fertilizer and pesticides are used per acre of lawn than on an equivalent acre of cultivated farmland, ^[22] and the continued use of these products has been associated with environmental pollution, disturbance in the lawn ecosystem, and increased health risks to the local human population. ^[23]

Other concerns, criticisms, and ordinances regarding lawns come from the environmental consequences:

• Most lawns are composed of a monoculture (single species) of plants, which reduces biodiversity, especially when the lawn covers a large area. They usually are composed of introduced species not native to the area, which can further decrease a locale's biodiversity and vital habitats supporting an ecosystem.
• Lawn maintenance often uses inorganic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, which can harm the environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has estimated^[when?] nearly 70,000,000 pounds (32,000,000 kg) of active pesticide ingredients are used on suburban lawns each year in the United States.^[24] It has also been estimated that more herbicides are applied per acre of lawn than are used by most farmers to grow industrial crops. ^[11]
  • For example, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Kuwait, and Belize have placed restrictions on the use of the herbicide 2,4-D.
• It has been estimated that nearly 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled each summer while re-fueling garden and lawn-care equipment in the United States; approximately 50% more than that spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident. ^[11]
• The use of pesticides and fertilizers, requiring fossil fuels for manufacturing, distribution, and application, have been shown to contribute to global warming, whereas sustainable organic techniques have been shown to help reduce global warming.^[25]

A lawn sprinkler

Water conservation[link]

Maintaining a green lawn sometimes requires large amounts of water. This was not a problem in temperate England, where the concept of the lawn originated, as natural rainfall was sufficient to maintain a lawn's health. The exportation of the lawn ideal to more arid regions of the world, however, such as the U.S. Southwest and Australia, has crimped already scarce water resources in such areas, requiring larger, more environmentally invasive water supply systems. Grass typically goes dormant during cold, winter months, and turns brown during hot, dry summer months, thereby reducing its demand for water. Many property owners consider this "dead" appearance unacceptable, and therefore increase watering during the summer months. Grass can also recover quite well from a drought.

In the United States, 50 to 70% of residential water is used for landscaping, most of it to water lawns.^[24] A 2005 NASA study found over 30 million acres (120,000 km²) of irrigated lawn in the US (128,000 km² or 12,800,000 hectares), three times the area of irrigated corn.^[26]

It is possible that lawn maintenance could come at the expense of precious resources, especially when faced with extreme weather conditions. This situation is described in Water in Australia by David Ingle Smith, who observed in 1995 data that under extreme conditions during summer drought periods, up to 90% of the water used in Canberra, Australia was applied to lawns. ^[27]

Chemicals[link]

An increased concern from the general public over pesticide and fertilizer use and their associated health risks, combined with the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act, has resulted in the reduced presence of synthetic chemicals, namely pesticides, in urban landscapes such as lawns in the late 20th century.^[28] Much of these concerns over the safety and environmental impact of some of these synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has led to their ban by the EPA and many local governments. ^[23] The use of pesticides and other chemicals to care for lawns has also lead to the death of nearly 7 million birds each year, a topic that was central to Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. ^[11]

Decreasing environmental impact[link]

In the United States, lawn heights are generally maintained by gasoline-powered lawnmowers, which contribute to urban smog during the summer months. The EPA found, in some urban areas, up to 5% of smog was due to small gasoline engines made before 1997, such as are typically used on lawnmowers. Since 1997, the EPA has mandated emissions controls on newer engines in an effort to reduce smog.^[29]

A 2010 study seemed to show lawn care inputs were balanced by the carbon sequestration benefits of lawns, and they may not be contributors to anthropogenic global warming.^[30][31]

However, lawns with high maintenance (mowing, irrigation, and leaf blowing) and high fertilization rates have a net emission of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide that have large global warming potential. ^[32]

With the use of ecological techniques including organic lawn management, the impact of lawns can be reduced. Such methods include the use of native grasses, sedges, and low herbs; higher mowing techniques; low volume irrigation, 'grasscycling' grass clippings in place; an integrated pest management program; exclusive organic fertilizer and compost use; and including a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, and other plants surrounding the lawn. A positive benefit of a healthy lawn is it filters contaminants and prevents runoff and erosion of bare soil.

In addition to the environmental criticisms, some gardeners question the aesthetic value of lawns, especially in climates and cultures different from the lawn's homeland in England.

See also[link]

Lawns[link]

• Grasses
• Grasslands
• Lawn topics
• Lawn sweeper
• Lawn aerator
• Organic lawn management

Gardening[link]

• Gardening
• Organic gardening
• Organic horticulture
• Sustainable gardening
• Sustainable landscaping
• List of organic gardening and farming topics with links

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bormann, F. Herbert, et al. (1993) Redesigning the American Lawn.
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Lawns: Ch. 3: pp. 26–33. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
• Jenkins, V. S. (1994). The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 1-56098-406-6.
• Steinberg, T. (2006). American Green, The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-06084-5.
• Wasowski, Sally and Andy (2004). Requiem for a Lawnmower.

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Lawns.

• "Planting and care of Lawns" from the UNT Govt. Documents Dept.
• Integrated Pest Management Program: website & search-engine
• "EPA Management of Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source Pollution" (includes mismanagement of lawns problems.)

Carla Bley
Background information
Birth name	Carla Borg
Born	(1936-05-11) May 11, 1936 (age 76)
Origin	Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres	Post bop
Occupations	Pianist Organist Bandleader
Instruments	Piano, Organ
Labels	WATT/ECM/Universal Records
Associated acts	Michael Mantler, Steve Swallow, Paul Bley, Nick Mason, Johnny Griffin, Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Art Farmer

Carla Bley, née Borg (born May 11, 1936), is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill (released as a triple LP set), as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other artists, including Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Art Farmer and her ex-husband Paul Bley.

Biography[link]

Carla Bley at Keystone Korner, San Francisco 1979 (photo: Brian McMillen)

Bley was born in Oakland, California. Her father, a piano teacher and church choirmaster, encouraged her to sing and to learn to play the piano. After giving up the church to immerse herself in roller skating at the age of fourteen,^[1] she moved to New York at seventeen and became a cigarette girl at Birdland, where she met jazz pianist Paul Bley, whom she married in 1957.^[2] He encouraged her to start composing. The couple later divorced.

A number of musicians began to record her compositions: George Russell recorded "Bent Eagle" on his 1960 release Stratusphunk in 1960; Jimmy Giuffre recorded "Ictus" on his album Thesis; and Paul Bley's Barrage consisted entirely of her compositions.

In 1964 she was involved in organising the Jazz Composers Guild which brought together the most innovative musicians in New York at the time. She then had a personal and professional relationship with Michael Mantler, with whom she had a daughter, Karen, now also a musician in her own right.

With Mantler, she co-led the Jazz Composers' Orchestra and started the JCOA record label which issued a number of historic recordings by Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry and Roswell Rudd, as well as her own magnum opus Escalator Over The Hill and Mantler's The Jazz Composer's Orchestra LPs. Bley and Mantler followed with WATT Records, which has issued their recordings exclusively since the early 1970s. Bley and Mantler were pioneers in the development of independent artist-owned record labels and also started the now defunct New Music Distribution Services which specialized in small, independent labels that issued recordings of creative improvised music.

Bley has collaborated with a number of other artists, including Jack Bruce, Robert Wyatt and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, whose 1981 solo album Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports was a Carla Bley album in all but name. She arranged and composed music for Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, and wrote A Genuine Tong Funeral for Gary Burton. Her arrangement of the score for Federico Fellini's 8½ appeared on Hal Willner's Nino Rota tribute record, Amarcord Nino Rota. She has also contributed to other Hal Willner projects, including the song "Misterioso" for the tribute to Thelonious Monk entitled "That's the Way I Feel Now", which included Johnny Griffin as guest musician on tenor saxophone, and the Willner-directed tribute to Kurt Weill, entitled "Lost in the Stars", where she and her band contributed an arrangement of the title track, with Phil Woods as guest musician on alto saxophone. In the late 1980s, she also performed with Anton Fier's Golden Palominos and played on their 1985 album, Visions of Excess.

Carla Bley has continued to record frequently with her own Big band, which included Blood, Sweat and Tears notable Lew Soloff, and a number of smaller ensembles, notably The Lost Chords. Her current partner, the bassist Steve Swallow,^[3] has been her closest and most consistent musical associate in recent years and the two have recorded several duet albums. In 1997, a live version of Escalator over the Hill (re-orchestrated by Jeff Friedman) was performed for the first time in Cologne, Germany; in 1998 "Escalator" toured Europe, and another live performance took place in May 2006 in Essen, Germany.

In 2005 she arranged the music for and performed on Charlie Haden's latest Liberation Music Orchestra tour and recording, Not in Our Name.

Awards[link]

Bley was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1972 for music composition. In 2009, she was awarded the German Jazz Trophy "A Life for Jazz".^[4][5]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu in Monaco. From left to right : Carla Bley, Paolo Fresu and Andy Sheppard

• 1974: Tropic Appetites
• 1977: Dinner Music
• 1978: European Tour 1977
• 1979: Musique Mecanique
• 1981: Social Studies
• 1982: Live!
• 1984: I Hate to Sing
• 1984: Heavy Heart
• 1987: Sextet
• 1989: Fleur Carnivore
• 1991: The Very Big Carla Bley Band
• 1993: Big Band Theory
• 1996: The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church
• 1998: Fancy Chamber Music
• 2000: 4 x 4
• 2003: Looking for America
• 2004: The Lost Chords
• 2007: The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu
• 2008: Appearing Nightly
• 2009: Carla's Christmas Carols

Collaborations[link]

With Gary Burton

• A Genuine Tong Funeral (RCA, 1967)

With the Jazz Composer's Orchestra

• 1968: The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (led by Michael Mantler - also known as Communications)
• 1968-71: Escalator Over the Hill (a chronotransduction by Carla Bley & Paul Haines)
• 1973: Relativity Suite (led by Don Cherry)
• 1975: The Gardens of Harlem (led by Clifford Thornton)
• 1975: Echoes of Prayer (led by Grachan Moncur III)

With Michael Mantler

• 1966: Jazz Realities (with Steve Lacy)
• 1973: No Answer (with Jack Bruce & Don Cherry - text by Samuel Beckett)
• 1975: 13 & ¾
• 1976: The Hapless Child
• 1976: Silence
• 1977: Movies
• 1980: More Movies
• 1982: Something There

With Charlie Haden and the Liberation Music Orchestra

• 1969: Liberation Music Orchestra (Impulse!)
• 1983: Ballad of the Fallen (ECM)
• 1990: Dream Keeper (Blue Note)
• 2005: Not in Our Name (Verve)

With Nick Mason

• 1979: Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports (released in 1981)

With Steve Swallow

• 1985: Night-Glo
• 1986-7: Carla
• 1988: Duets
• 1992: Go Together
• 1992: Swallow
• 1994: Songs with Legs (with Andy Sheppard)
• 1999: Are We There Yet?

As sidewoman[link]

• 1975: Jack Bruce - The Jack Bruce Band Live '75 (released 2003)
• 1975: Jack Bruce - Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test (released 1998)
• 1977: John Greaves - Kew. Rhone.
• 1981: Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) — various artists tribute to Nino Rota (performs "8½")
• 1984: That's the Way I Feel Now (A&M) — various artists tribute to Thelonious Monk (performs "Misterioso")
• 1985: Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill — various artists tribute to Kurt Weill (performs "Lost in the Stars")
• 1971-85: Gary Windo - His Master's Bones
• 1985: The Golden Palominos - Visions of Excess
• 1991: The Golden Palominos - Drunk with Passion
• 1995: Jazz to the World — various artists (performs "Let It Snow")

Videography[link]

• 1983/2003: Live in Montreal (DVD)

Compositions appear on[link]

• 1960: George Russell - George Russell Sextet at the Five Spot ("Dance Class" and "Beast Blues")
• 1960: George Russell - Stratusphunk ("Bent Eagle")
• 1961: George Russell - George Russell Sextet in K.C. ("Rhymes")
• 1961: Jimmy Giuffre - Fusion ("Jesus Maria" and "In the Morning Out There")
• 1961: Jimmy Guiffre - Thesis ("Ictus")
• 1961: Jimmy Guiffre - Emphasis & Flight 1961 (live recordings of "Jesus Maria" and "Postures")
• 1962: Don Ellis - Essence ("Donkey" aka "Wrong Key Donkey")
• 1962: Paul Bley - Floater ("Floater", "Around Again", "Syndrome", "King Korn" and "Vashkar")
• 1962: George Russell - The Outer View ("Zig Zag")
• 1964: Paul Bley - Turning Point ("Calls", "King Korn", "Ictus", and "Ida Lupino")
• 1964: Paul Bley - Barrage ("Batterie", "Ictus", "And Now the Queen", "Around Again", "Walking Woman", "Barrage")
• 1965: Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Communication ("Roast")
• 1965: Attila Zoller - The Horizon Beyond ("Inctus")
• 1965: Art Farmer - Sing Me Softly of the Blues ("Sing Me Softly of the Blues" and "Ad Inifintum")
• 1965: Paul Bley - Closer ("Ida Lupino", "Start", "Closer", "Sideways in Mexico", "Batterie", "And Now the Queen" and "Violin")
• 1965: Steve Lacy - Disposability ("Generous 1")
• 1967: Gary Burton - Duster ("Sing Me Softly of the Blues")
• 1967: Gary Burton - Lofty Fake Anagram ("Mother of the Dead Man")
• 1968: Steve Kuhn - Watch What Happens ("Ad Infinitum")
• 1969: NRBQ - NRBQ ("Ida")
• 1969: Phil Woods - At the Montreux Jazz Festival ("Ad Infinitum")
• 1969: Tony Williams - Emergency! ("Vaskar")
• 1972: Paul Bley - Open, to Love ("Closer", "Ida Lupino" and "Seven")
• 1972: Enrico Rava - Il Giro Del Giorno in 80 Mondi ("Olhos de Gato")
• 1973: Paul Bley - Paul Bley/NHØP ("Olhos de Gato")
• 1974: Gary Burton - Ring ("Silent Spring")
• 1974: Jan Garbarek - Witchi-Tai-To ("A.I.R.")
• 1974: Jaco Pastorius - Jaco ("Vashkar", "Donkey", "Overtoned", "Batterie" and "King Korn")
• 1974: Gary Burton - Hotel Hello ("Vaskar")
• 1975: Paul Bley - Alone, Again ("Olhos de Gato" and "And Now the Queen")
• 1975: Gary Burton - Dreams So Real ("Dreams So Real", "Ictus/Syndrome", "Jesus Maria", "Vox Humana", "Doctor", "Intermission Music")
• 1979: Morrissey – Mullen - Cape Wrath ("Dreams So Real")
• 1980: Gary Burton - Easy as Pie ("Reactionary Tango")
• 1980: Gary Burton - Picture This ("Dreams So Real")
• 1984: Gary Burton Quartet - Real Life Hits ("Syndrome" and "Real Life Hits")
• 1985: Paul Bley - Hot ("Syndrome" and "Around Again")
• 1986: Paul Bley - Fragments ("Seven" and "Closer")
• 1987: George Russell - So What ("Rhymes")
• 1987: Paul Bley and Paul Motian - Notes ("Batterie")
• 1989: Jimmy Guiffre - The Life of a Trio: Sunday ("Where Were We?")
• 1989: Orchestra Jazz Siciliana - Plays the Music of Carla Bley ("440", "The Lone Arranger", "Dreams So Real", "Baby Baby", "Joyful Noise", "Egyptian", and "Blunt Object")
• 1989: Charlie Haden - The Montreal Tapes: with Paul Bley and Paul Motian ("Ida Lupino")
• 1990: Leo Kottke - That's What ("Jesus Maria")
• 1991: Paul Bley - Paul Plays Carla ("Vashkar", "Floater", "Seven", "Around Again", "Ida Lupino", "Turns", "And Now the Queen", "Ictus", "Olhos de Gato" and "Donkey")
• 1991: John Surman - Adventure Playground ("Seven")
• 1992: Paul Bley - Homage to Carla ("Seven", "Closer", "Olhos de Gato", "And Now the Queen", "Vahskar", "Around Again", "Donkey", "King Korn", "Ictus", "Turns" and "Overtoned")
• 1994: John McLaughlin - After the Rain ("Sing Me Softly of the Blues")
• 2000: Michel Portal - Dockings ("Ida Lupino")
• 2000: Mark Turner - Ballad Session ("Jesus Maria")
• 2001: Don Preston - Transformation ("Walking Batteriewoman" and "The Donkey")
• 2002: Bobby Naughton - Zoar ("Vashkar")
• 2004: Gary Burton - Generations ("Syndrome")
• 2004: Whit Dickey - In a Heartbeat ("Calls")
• 2005: Arturo O'Farrill - Live in Brooklyn ("Utviklinsang" and "Walking Battery Woman")
• 2006: Howard Tate - Portrait of Howard ("The Lord Is Listenin' to Ya, Hallelujah")
• 2006: Dave Palmer - Romance ("Ida Lupino")
• 2007: Eberhard Weber - Stages of a Long Journey ("Syndrome")
• 2007: Jonas Kullhammar - Andratx ("Ida Lupino")
• 2008: Guillaume de Chassy - Faraway So Close ("Ida Lupino")
• 2008: Marcin Wasilewski - January ("King Korn")
• 2009: Emanuele Arciuli - Gates to Everywhere ("Romantic Notions 1-8")
• 2010: Cindy Blackman - Another Lifetime ("Vaskar", "Vaskar Reprise" and "Vaskar - The Alternate Dimension Theory")
• 2010: The Nels Cline Singers - Initiate ("And Now the Queen")

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• EJN: Carla Bley
• Carla Bley in conversation with Frank J. Oteri
• Watt/XtraWatt music label
• Carla Bley at Allmusic
• Carla Bley at All About Jazz
• Carla Bley interview at All About Jazz

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Steve Swallow
Photo by Natalia Dobryszycka
Background information
Birth name	Steve Swallow
Born	(1940-10-04) October 4, 1940 (age 71)
Origin	Fair Lawn, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Double bassist, electric bassist
Instruments	Double bass, electric upright bass
Labels	Palmetto
Associated acts	Jimmy Giuffre, Art Farmer, Carla Bley, John Scofield

Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

One of the leading bassists in jazz, Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton and Carla Bley.^[1] He was also one of the first acoustic bassists in jazz to switch entirely to electric bass guitar, on which he has a distinctively nimble sound.

Biography[link]

Steve Swallow in San Francisco 1981 (photo: Brian McMillen)

As a child, Swallow studied piano and trumpet before turning to the double bass^[1] at age 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960 he left Yale, where he was studying composition, and settled in New York City, playing at the time in Jimmy Giuffre's trio along with Paul Bley. After joining Art Farmer's quartet in 1964, Swallow began to write. It is in the 1960s that his long-term association with Gary Burton's various bands began.

In the early 1970s, Swallow switched exclusively to bass guitar, of which he prefers the 5-string variety. Along with Monk Montgomery and Bob Cranshaw, Swallow was among the first jazz bassists to do so (with much encouragement from Roy Haynes, Swallow's favorite drummer). He plays with a pick (made of copper by Hotlicks), and his style involves intricate solos in the upper register; he was one of the early adopters of the high C string on a bass guitar.

In 1974-76 Swallow taught at the Berklee College of Music. It is often speculated that he had an influence on the contents of the "Real Book," which includes a fair number of his early compositions. He later recorded an album of the same name, with the picture of a well-worn, coffee-stained Real Book on the cover.

In 1978 Swallow became an essential and constant member of Carla Bley's band. He has been Bley's romantic partner^[2] since the 1980s. He toured extensively with John Scofield in the early 1980s, and has returned to this collaboration several times over the years.

Swallow has consistently won the electric bass category in Down Beat yearly polls, both Critics' and Readers', since the mid-80s. His compositions have been covered by, among others, Jim Hall (who recorded his very first tune, "Eiderdown"), Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Stan Getz and Gary Burton.

Discography[link]

As leader or co-leader[link]

• Hotel Hello with Gary Burton (ECM, 1974)
• Home - music to poems by Robert Creeley (ECM, 1975)
• Carla (Watt, 1987)
• Duets with Carla Bley (Watt, 1988)
• Swallow (Sub Pop, 1991)
• Go Together with Carla Bley (Watt, 1992)
• Real Book (ECM, 1993)
• Deconstructed (ECM, 1996)
• Are We There Yet? with Carla Bley (Watt, 1998)
• Always Pack Your Uniform On Top (ECM, 2000)
• Damaged in Transit (Xtra Watt, 2003)
• L'Histoire du Clochard with Ohad Talmor (Palmetto, 2007)
• Carla's Christmas Carols with Carla Bley (Watt, 2009)

As sideman[link]

This section requires expansion.

With Carla Bley

• Musique Mecanique (Watt, 1979)
• Social Studies (Watt, 1980)
• Live! (Watt, 1981)
• I Hate to Sing (Watt, 1983)
• Heavy Heart (Watt, 1983)
• Night-Glo (Watt, 1985)
• Sextet (Watt, 1986)
• Fleur Carnivore (Watt, 1988)
• The Very Big Carla Bley Band (Watt, 1990)
• Big Band Theory (Watt, 1993)
• Songs with Legs (Watt, 1994)
• The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church (Watt, 1996)
• Fancy Chamber Music (Watt, 1997)
• 4 x 4 (Watt, 1999)
• Looking for America (Watt, 2002)
• The Lost Chords (Watt, 2003)
• Appearing Nightly (Watt, 2006)
• The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu (Watt, 2007)

With Paul Bley

• Hot (Soul Note, 1985)

With Gary Burton

• The Groovy Sound of Music (RCA, 1963)
• The Time Machine (RCA, 1966)
• Tennessee Firebird (RCA, 1966)
• Duster (RCA, 1967)
• Lofty Fake Anagram (RCA, 1967)
• A Genuine Tong Funeral (RCA, 1967)
• Gary Burton Quartet in Concert (RCA, 1968)
• Country Roads & Other Places (RCA, 1969)
• Throb (Atlantic, 1969)
• Good Vibes (Atlantic, 1969)
• Paris Encounter (Atlantic, 1969) with Stéphane Grappelli
• Dreams So Real (ECM, 1975)
• Passengers (ECM, 1977)
• Times Square (ECM, 1978)
• Easy as Pie (ECM, 1980)
• Picture This (ECM, 1982)
• Whiz Kids (ECM, 1986)
• Real Life Hits (ECM, 1984)
• Quartet Live

With Art Farmer

• Sing Me Softly of the Blues

With Steve Kuhn

• Three Waves
• Trance (ECM, 1974)

With Pete La Roca

• Basra (Blue Note, 1965)

With Joe Lovano

• Universal Language (Blue Note, 1992)

With Michael Mantler

• The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (JCOA, 1968)
• The Hapless Child (WATT, 1976)
• Movies (WATT, 1977)
• More Movies (WATT, 1980)
• Something There (WATT, 1982)

With Gary McFarland

• Point of Departure (Impulse!, 1963)

With Pat Metheny and John Scofield

• I Can See Your House from Here

With Paul Motian

• Reincarnation of a Love Bird (JMT, 1995)
• Flight of the Blue Jay (Winter & Winter, 1995)
• 2000 + One (Winter & Winter, 1997)
• Play Monk and Powell (Winter & Winter, 1998)

With John Scofield Trio

• EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE (Verve, 2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Watt/XtraWatt - the recording company run by Swallow and Bley
• Jazz changes – a Conversation with Steve Swallow

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Nancy Ajram نانسي عجرم
Nancy Ajram in December 2007
Background information
Birth name	Nancy Nabil Ajram
Born	(1983-05-16) May 16, 1983 (age 29)
Origin	Beirut, Lebanon, Arabia
Genres	Arabic Pop, World, pop
Occupations	singer
Years active	1998–present
Labels	EMI Arabia (1998) Megastar (2001–2005) In2Musica (2008–present)
Website	Official website

Nancy Nabil Ajram (Arabic: نانسي نبيل عجرم‎), (born May 16, 1983) is a multi-platinum recording artist and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.^[1] With the support of her father, Nancy began performing as a child and released her first studio album by the age of 15. Her breakthrough occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her smash-hit "Akhasmak Ah" and 3rd studio album, Ya Salam. In 2004, she released her second international best-seller "Ah w Noss", which spawned several smash-hits, "Ah w Noss", "Lawn Ouyounak", and "Inta Eih" at which point Nancy had established pop icon status in the Middle East.

Her 2008 album "Bitfakkar Fi Eih" spawned seven singles and won Nancy's first World Music Award as Best-selling Middle Eastern Artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date. She has released seven studio albums to date and numerous other chart-topping singles such as "Sehr Ouyouno", "Atabtab", "Moegaba", "Ehsas Jdeed", "El Donya Helwa", "Mashi Haddi", and "Fi Hagat".

Nancy Ajram is the first and only female sponsor and spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East and Arab world. Considered by many as an Arabic music icon of the decade, Nancy was described on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the most influential personalities of the Middle East. Nancy has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times, and was similarly listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arabs.^[2][3] Nancy's official Facebook page is the most subscribed Arabic artist page on the social-networking site and the first to reach 3 million subscribers,^[4] and her music video for "Fi Hagat" was an Internet phenomenon and is currently the most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet, on Youtube with over 26.3 million views to date.^[5]

Early life and beginnings[link]

Nancy Ajram was born into an Orthodox Christian family on May 16, 1983 in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon.^[6]

In 1995, at the age of twelve, Nancy Ajram took part in a variety show, Noujoum Al-Moustakbal, ("Stars of the Future"), a Lebanese reality television competition, which finds new solo musical talent. Ajram won a gold medal in the Tarab category after singing a song by Umm Kulthum.

Ajram studied music with renowned Lebanese musicians and despite being less than 18 years old at the time, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member. Her first singles were titled "Hobbak Allam Albi elGheere" by Abdo Mounzer, and "Oulha Kelma Ala Shani". At the age of 15, she released her first album, Mihtagalak ("I Need You') in 1998. It was followed by Sheel Oyoonak Anni ("Stop Staring") in 2000, which achieved more success.

Music career[link]

[edit] 2002-2004: Akhasmak Ah

Ajram's breakthrough was when she began working with Jiji Lamara, an experienced producer and manager. In early 2003, Ajram rose to instant fame with the success of the lead single "Akhasmak Ah" and the release of her third studio album, Ya Salam ("Oh Wow") which was a best-seller. The music video of "Akhasmak Ah" caused a controversy; reminiscent of older Arabic films, Nancy appeared as a cafe manager who dances and flirts with its customers. The release of the next music videos, "Ya Salam" and "Sehr Ouyouno" quietened down criticism as they better introduced Nancy's vocal abilities and style to the public.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2004-2006:Ah w Noss, Coca-Cola

Her fourth album, Ah w Noss ("Yes, and a half"), was released on April 12, 2004, and it was also an important marking point in Nancy's career. The tremendous success that "Ah w Noss" achieved, stabilized Nancy's position as an A-List star in the Arab music industry. Nancy then filmed "Lawn Ouyounak" (Color of Your Eyes), which portrayed Nancy as a bride in a traditional Lebanese wedding. After the release of the album, Nancy Ajram signed-up with Coca-Cola to be their official celebrity spokesperson for the Levant, Arabia and North Africa regions. Her first Coke commercial featured her hit, "Oul Tany Kida?" (Say That Again?), which was filmed with the international Italian director Luca Tomassini. The commercial's success lead to it being filmed as a music video behind the scenes of the commercial. The 4th hit single from the album, "Inta Eih?" (What Are You?), was a slow directed by Samir Sfeir. Nadine Labaki directed another clip that featured Nancy as a wife who sees her husband cheating on her yet she hides it in torment to save their relationship. The music video received tremendous positive reviews and Nancy was greatly praised. Leading Egyptian actors and directors, like Faten Hamama praised Nancy's acting abilities and movie offers doubled for Nancy. Nancy also opened for Enrique Iglesias's first concert in Egypt in 2004.

[edit] 2006-2008:Ya Tabtab Wa Dalla, Shakhbat, El Donya Helwa

Her fifth album, Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa was released on February 15, 2006. Atabtab was considered Nancy's best album to date, with six music videos released, eight radio hits, and five songs used for commercials.

The title song's video was Nancy's last video directed by Nadine Labaki, as she then started working on her movie Caramel. Nancy then released the video of her Coca-Cola hit "Moegaba" (Admirer), as well as a video and commercial for her newly signed Damas Jewelry contract advertising their "Farfasha" set. The song used was Ana Yalli which was promoted before the album's release. Nancy then cooperated for the first time with prominent Lebanese director Said el Marouk, filming "Ehsas Jdeed" (A New Feeling) which is widely considered to be the most successful song of the album. The video, which was a salute from Said to his deaf and mute parents, depicted the story of a rich woman who falls in love with a deaf and mute man. Later in 2007, Nancy released all together the video of "Elli Kan" (All That Was) for Damas's second campaign, her Coca-Cola Side of Life commercial featuring a new single "El Donya Helwa" (Life is Beautiful), and a video and album directed towards children, titled Shakhbat Shakhabit (Scribbled Scribbles). "El Donya Helwa", Nancy's 7th commercial, is considered one of her most successful commercials representing her style and Coca-Cola's with colors, happiness, and music, and it led her to release a Live album featuring the single.

Ajram's sixth album was fully dedicated to children with a variety of songs aimed towards teaching children good values and morals, something she has wanted to do for a long time. The music video was her second cooperation with Said El Marouk and featured four songs from her album, the most successful of which were "Shakhbat Shakhabit" & "Shater Shater". Nancy performed these songs at several fund-raising events for children and other children's events, such as the children's TV channel MBC3, and the children's entertainment TV Show "Star Zghar". She then filmed with Fadi Haddad, the director of photography of her previous works with ElMarouk, a video for the song "Resala Ilal Aalam" (A Message to the World) which talks about world peace. The video was released on May 25, 2008, the day the Lebanese president General Michel Suleiman was elected ending a deadlock that lasted since November. It was the first video for Nancy that had an entirely graphical world that implied the suffering of children worldwide and the need to bring out a more colorful and happy world for them. Old rumors claimed that the video was presented to the UNICEF. In 2007, Nancy performed alongside Lionel Richie in Egypt at a launching event.

[edit] 2008–2010: Betfakkar Fi Eih, WMA, Oprah, UNICEF & motherhood

In February and March 2008, Nancy released three Coca-Cola commercials that featured a brand new hit from her long awaited album. The song, "Meen Gheyri Ana (Noss elKawn)" (Who Else?) was made by the successful Yey and Ana Yalli trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, and Tarek Madkour). The single was an instant hit and served as a highly successful promotion 5 months before the release of the album. Nancy released her seventh studio album after several delays on July 30, 2008, which has been highly anticipated by fans for almost three years. This long awaited comeback album held lots of surprises for her fans with a huge change in her style that presented her matured vocal abilities like never before. Nancy's 7th album, Betfakkar Fi Eih?!, is considered to be one of her most successful albums so far as it won her first World Music Award in her career. The album included her first "Tarab" song called "Biteegy Sirtak" since 1998's Mihtagalak album, and in general had a wide mix of several different styles ranging from dance, beat, pop, to drama, romance, Tarab and oldies. Even though the hit video had mixed opinions, the second video of "Min Dally Nseek" was much more accepted, peaking at #1 for seven consecutive weeks in Melody Hits.^[7] The same musical trio who created "Ehsas Jdeed" did one of the instant radio-hits of the album, "Lamset Eed" (Touch of a Hand), which was filmed with Leila Kenaan with a high budget, and the song and music video peaked charts for months. With this album Nancy signed a celebrity endorsement deal with Sony Ericsson, as a special w595 phone was released holding Nancy's signature, and Wana Ben Idek was chosen as the commercial song.

On November 9, 2008, about a month after her marriage, Nancy Ajram won her first World Music Award for her best-selling album Betfakkar Fi Eih. In her short speech, Nancy thanked her parents, Jiji Lamara, her fans and album makers, and husband, saying "2008 has been a fantastic year - a successful album, my wedding, and now a World Music Award, what can I ask for more?"

On September 28, 2009, the Oprah Winfrey Show aired an episode titled "Fame Around the World" that talked about the most famous celebrities around the globe in brief reports. Representing the Middle East region and Arab world, Nancy Ajram appeared in a report featured on the show and was described by Oprah as "the Britney Spears of the Middle East". Nancy Ajram is the first and only Middle-Eastern artist ever mentioned on the show.

[edit] 2010–2011: World Cup, N°7

In the summer of 2010, Nancy was nominated by Coca-Cola Middle East to sing, along with K'naan, his international hit and song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, "Wavin' Flag". The Arabic version, titled "Shaggaa Be Alamak" and directed to the Middle East region, had its Arabic parts written by Ayman Bahgat Amar (who previously wrote Ah w Noss, Atabtab, Eftah Albak for Nancy) and the music remastered by Tarek Madkour. The original music video was used for K'naan's parts while Nancy's parts were filmed separately in Lebanon on the same protocol under Leila Kenaan's co-direction. Both the video and song were aired heavily during the FIFA season and part of the song was particularly played during commercial breaks on Al-Jazeera channel, which exclusively aired the games to the Arab world.

On August 30, 2010,^[8] Nancy's official Facebook page posted a 16-second preview of the music video for Nancy's next single, "Fi Hagat". The preview shows Nancy wearing her makeup and getting in the car on a rainy day. Later, it was announced that Nadine Labaki directed the video, thus making her comeback to music video direction after her 4-year break. The video is also the first collaboration between Ajram and Labaki since 2006's "Atabtab." The full music video premiered on September 6, 2010 at 8:00PM on Arabica TV and MTV Lebanon.^[9] As of January 2011, Nancy became the first and most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet.^[10]

In November, 2010, Nancy's Facebook page hit one million fans, becoming the most subscribed Arabic Facebook page on the site. Nancy expressed how thankful she was and promised her followers to add news and updates to the page. Later, the page announced "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" as the second and third singles from 7, respectively. The video for the second single premiered on December 23, and received favorable reviews from Arabic media, however, it did not achieve the same explosive rate of Internet views as did the first single "Fi Hagat", with only 750,000 views in a month. The album marks a shift in Ajram's career and launches her to a more international image, and is, to date, her second fastest selling album. It earned Nancy her second World Music Award as the middle east's best selling album.

2010–2012: Second kids' album[link]

In 2012, Ajram joined social networking website Twitter, and received ten thousand followers in two days. She immediately followed fellow singer Elissa and was followed back by her. The singer took her personal account to announce the video shoot of a fourth video from her seventh album, titled "Min Ma Ando." She also announced in late February that was nearly done working on a second album dedicated for kids. Ajram is set to embark a US tour in the summer of 2012.

Personal life[link]

In September 2008, Nancy wed Dr. Fadi El Hachem in Cyprus after a three-year relationship; the wedding ceremony, in Lebanon, was attended mainly by close friends and family and was only made based on their request. Nancy continued her work during pregnancy, during which she filmed "Min Dally Nseek", "Lamset Eed" and her first Sony Ericsson commercial. She also participated in several concerts, such as Layali Febrayer and received her World Music Award.

On May 16, 2009, Nancy gave birth to her first child, a daughter she named "Mila." Short for Milagrosa (miraculous in Spanish), Mila is also a traditional, Levantine name popular in rural Lebanon and meaning a "blooming tree".^[11] However, Nancy revealed that the name was Fadi's choice inspired by the Ukraine-born US actress, Milla Jovovich. Nancy released a song for her daughter, "Ya Rab Tekbar Mila" (I Pray that Mila Grows Up) on the same day. In a survey done by Rotana Magazine, Nancy was voted as the "Most Beautiful Mom" of 2009.^[12] Nancy chose not to reveal photos of her daughter Mila until they both appeared on the cover of "Prestige" magazine in an exclusive photoshoot. Mila later appeared in the set of Nancy's music video "Ya Kether" in the presence of the media who publicized her pictures.

In October 2010, a month after the release of her seventh studio album, Nancy announced that she was four months pregnant with her second child, a girl. During that period she had filmed "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" consecutively to be released during her pregnancy period. Nancy Ajram revealed on Mothers day special on MTV that she decided to name her daughter Ella. Ella was born on 23 April 2011.

Nancy Ajram is an Orthodox Christian.^[13]

Awards and titles[link]

• 1995 Nojoom Al Mustaqbal Golden Award - (Ajram's most significant pre-stardom award)
• 2003, 2005, 2007 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut ^[14]
• 2003, 2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year, Beirut.
• 2003: Ya Salam - Nadine Labaki, 2006: Ehsas Jdeed - Said elMarouk)
• 2003 The Golden Lion Award, Egypt
• 2003, 2007 LG Music Award
• 2003, 2005 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
• 2004, 2010 Zahrat elKhaleej - Best Music Video of the Year, Dubai (Lawn Ouyounak, Fi hagat - respectively)
• 2004 Arabian Music Awards - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Dubai
• 2005 Newsweek - Most Influential Arab Personalities, Kuwait
• 2005 - Honor from the Opera House of Egypt
• 2007 - Certificate from the Pope of Rome
• 2007 Middle East Music Awards (Mobinil) - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Cairo ^[15]
• 2007, 2009^[16] Arabian Business - World's Most Influential Arabs, Most Influential Contemporary Female Singer in 2007,^[17] Most Powerful Arab Singers^[3]
• 2007 Kol elArab Survey - Best Arabic Star of the year 2007 ^[18]
• 2008 9th Annual Doha Festival - Honor Award, Doha
• 2008 World Music Award - World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist, 20th Annual WMA, Monaco ^[19]
• 2008 Student Choice Award - [College Student Survey]: Best Album of the Year 2008, Beirut ^[20]
• 2008 AlJumhuriya newspaper, Freedom Magazine - Best Female Arab Star of 2008, Egypt.. only? ^[21]
• 2009 Regional Ambassador for the UNICEF in the Middle East & North Africa
• 2009 Al-Jazirah Newspaper survey : Best Female Arab singer of the Year. Saudi Arabia
• 2010 Stars Cafe Magazine - Best selling female artist of the decade.
• 2010 World Travel Award - Best Female world singer of the Year .
• 2010 Sama Al Noujoum-Best Female Singer 2010/Fi hagat Best Music Video^[22]
• 2010 Panet Survey-Best Female singer^[23]
• 2010 Arab Sound Awards -Best Arabic Female Singer^[24]
• 2010 Music My Life- Fi Hagat Best Song Of 2010
• 2010 Best Of Lbc 2010- N 7 Best Album/Fi Hagat- Best Music Video^[25]
• 2010 Panorama Fm (MBC)-N 7 Best Arabic Album.^[26]
• 2010-2011 Jaras Scoop Awards-Best Female Singer ^[27]
• 2010-2011 Melody Fm Awards-Best Female Singer
• Stars Cafe Awards 2010:
  • Best Female Artist
  • Best Album : 7
  • Best Song: Fi Hagat
  • Best Lyrics: Fi Hagat
  • Best Arrangement: Fi Hagat
  • Best Music Video: Sheikh El Shabab
• 2011 Won two awards from "Murex D'or 2010" ceremony in Lebanon. First award as the Star of Lebanese song, and the second award for the category of best music video for the song "Sheikh El Shabab."^[28]
• 2011 Best Female Singer- "Woujouh Men Lebnan" awards.
• 2011 Arabian Business- Most Famous Celebrity in the Middle East ^[29]
• 2011 World Music Awards World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist (Nancy 7)

Philanthropy and humanitarian work[link]

Ajram has participated in numerous charity events and concerts that she considers a priority in her music career. In the year 2006, Ajram opened an organization under the name "Jam'iyet Nancy Ajram Al-Khayria" (Nancy Ajram's Charity Organization) in Beirut, Lebanon, that works on collecting and distributing money for the poor. Nancy also released a song about peace, "Resala Ilal Aalam" (A Message to the World), in her children's album as a music video, which was rumored to be presented to the Unicef. Ajram also participated amongst over 100 other prominent Arab artists in a huge production called "ElDhameer elArabi", a 10-year sequel to "AlHelm Al Arabi" that outlines the major political events in the Arab world in the past ten years.

In June 2008, Nancy participated in The Big Ball, a charity event in Dubai which raised over Dhs 940,000 for helping underprivileged children ^[30] by auctioning one of her favourite dresses and encouraging children's fund-raising events; she announced, "The Big Ball is doing a wonderful thing and I'm happy to support it. I'm coming for my love of children and because I want to help underprivileged children find a happy place in this world. Children inspired my latest album Shakhbat Shakhabit and especially the song "Resala lel3alam" (A Message to the World)." ^[31] Ajram, however, continues to refuse announcing her other charitable projects to the public.

On October 22, 2009, the UNICEF chose Ajram to be the first female regional ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, as was announced in a press conference held in Beirut. Nancy announced that she will be starting her charity projects in 2010. In late 2009 she appeared in the UNICEF's commercial marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, joining other influential Middle Eastern celebrities such as Kazem el-Saher, Saber el-Rebai and Karess Bashar.

Criticism and controversy[link]

• Many rumors of boycotts against Ajram's concerts filled the internet, although none appeared to be true.^[32]

• In October 2003, a riot broke out outside a concert by Ajram in Bahrain. Islamists from the country's main opposition parties, including Al Wefaq, attacked concert goers. Al Wefaq's leaders defended the action, as it was the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.^[32] In May 2006, Ajram returned to perform in Bahrain without any incidents.

• On her official website, Nancy Ajram has apologized^[33][34] for anti-Iranian remarks ^[35] falsely attributed to her on a website posing as her homepage.

• Nancy Ajram has expressed extreme anger towards recent circulating rumors in Egypt regarding the spread of nude photos of her on mobile phones. A large number of youths around Egypt and around the Arab world have been spreading nude photos of the singer supposedly taken at a women's spa for a full body wax. Nancy, however, denies the spa visit and claims such photos are fake.^[36]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Nancy Ajram Discography

• 1998: Mihtagalak
• 2001: Sheel Oyounak Anni
• 2003: Ya Salam
• 2004: Ah W Noss
• 2006: Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa
• 2008: Betfakkar Fi Eih?!
• 2010: 7

Children's albums[link]

• 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit
• 2012: TBA

DVDs and live albums[link]

• 2004: Live at the Jarash Festival [DVD] - MegaStar
• 2005: Ma La Ta'arifunahu 3an Nancy Ajram [DVD] - MBC
• 2006: Ah w Noss: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
• 2006: Ya Salam: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
• 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit [DVD]
• 2007: ElDonya Helwa - Live [Live CD]
• 2008: The Best of Nancy Clips [DVD]
• 2008: Greatest Hits [Compilation CD] - EMI
• 2009: Awwel Marra [Old Live Songs CD] - Artline Music

Non-album singles[link]

Nancy released several songs dedicated to special countries in the Arab world, starting with "Kuwait alShahama" in 2005. In early 2006, she released a single, "Ana Masry" ("I am Egyptian"), timed to coincide with Egypt's hosting and winning of the African Cup of Nations football tournament, taking it by storm. Its video showed Egyptians representing the diversity of the country lip-sync the patriotic lyrics of the song. Nancy also released a song for the rival Egyptian soccer teams "Ahly and Zamalek", being the first to do so after Sabah. Nancy released a sensual song for Lebanon called "Habib elOmr" composed by Ziad Boutrous, which preceded the 2006 Lebanese war. After the 2007 "Nahr el Bared" war, Nancy dedicated a song composed by Samir Sfeir to the Lebanese Army, called "Khalleek Bwejj elGhadab".

• 2005 "Kuwait Al Shahama"
• 2005 "Ana Masry"
• 2005 "Agbal" - (released in "Afdal Ma Endana" UAE compilation album)
• 2006 "Ahli w Zamalek"
• 2006 "Habib el Omr"
• 2007 "Bwejj el Ghadab"
• 2007 "El Dunya Helwa" [Coke Single] - (featured in Live performances album)
• 2009 "Ya Rab Tikbar Mila"
• 2009 "Efta7 Albak Tefra7" [Coke Single] - (released on Coke official website)
• 2010 "Masr el Ma7rousa"
• 2010 "Salemoli 3alaih"
• 2011 "Wahshani Ya Masr Moot"
• 2011 "7adri La3bek"
• 2011 "papa Porto"

Group works

• 2003 Il7a2ni (Follow Me) for the Lebanese Marathon, featuring Haifa Wehbe, Dina Hayek, Joe Ashkar, and Yuri Mrakadi.
• 2005 La Ma Khelset El Hekaya (It's Not Over) after the assassination of late president Rafiq elHariri, featuring Nawal elZoghbi, Haifa Wehbe, Wael Kfoury, Sabah, Maya Nasri, and many others.
• 2008 ElDhameer el 3arabi (The Arab Conscience) the sequel to the well-known "elHelm al3arabi" along with more than 100 artists including Wadih elSafi, Assala, Latifa, and Cheb Khaled.

Soundtracks

Ramadan 2009: Ibn elArandaly

• Intro: "Ya Ibn el Arandaly"
• Outro: "Kol elHekaya"

Ramadan 2011: "Samara"

• intro: "Samara"
• outro: "Samara"

Global Coke slogans[link]

Coca-Cola Middle East have always incorporated International Coke slogans into pan-Arab campaigns with Nancy. In 2007, Coca-Cola released their international trademark campaign of their popular slogan "The Coke Side of Life", which focused on themes such as fun, happiness, colors, and life. A collaboration with Nancy Ajram lead to the making of the song "El Donya Helwa" (The World is Beautiful) for which a commercial was filmed with an American director on international standards and hi-tech effects. Nancy insisted on filming in Lebanon which had been hit by war a while back. "El Donya Helwa" is considered Coca-Cola Middle East's and Nancy Ajram's most successful commercial to date; the single became one of Ajram's most successful songs, leading to its release as a single track in a "Live" album with live performances from her last studio album Atabtab.

In 2009, as the campaign was sequeled internationally with "Open Happiness", Coke Middle East and Nancy released "Eftah Albak Tefrah". However, due to Nancy's pregnancy and giving birth, she was unable to participate in the print or TV campaigns that year and the song was used on the International commercial instead. A website was launched for that campaign entitled "Eftah Tefrah".

In 2010, Coca Cola released an Arabic version of Wavin' Flag originally by K'naan. The Arabic version "Wavin' Flag / Shagga' Bi Alamak Da" (In Arabic شجّع بعلمك ده) has Nancy Ajram featuring K'naan and meant for pan-Arab promotion of 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Videography[link]

Commercials and Official music videos[link]

Ajram's success as a singer led to high-profile advertising deals with Coca-Cola and Sony Ericsson and Damas Jewelry. Nancy remained the only Arab star promoting Coke until late 2007 when Egyptian sensations Mohammed Hamaki and Tamer Hosni joined in as well, as she still remains the only female. Coca-Cola and Nancy formed a great team since five years making commercials and music videos that stood out in the Arab world, synchronising local campaigns with worldwide slogans.

Middle East Coke Campaigns

DAMAS's youth-inspired set called "Farfasha", which are gold collections from the World Gold Council said to be chosen by Nancy herself, was promoted by her in three different campaigns. Each campaign had a new collection for the set and a song, commercial, and music video, starting with "Ana Yalli", then "Elli Kan" from Atabtab, and last with "Ibn elGiran" from Betfakkar fi eih?!.

A survey by Sony Ericsson where Nancy was named the most popular Arab star led them into signing a deal with her as their celebrity spokesperson. The company co-sponsored the release of her best-selling album Bitfakkar Fi Eih. In Febrauary 2009 the W595i phone was officially released with a Nancy special edition kit that held her signature on the back of the phone, a free copy of her album and ringtones of her songs. This was accompanied by print advertising, a press conference in Dubai, as well as a commercial set in March 2009 that featured Nancy and the song "Wana Ben Idek" from her best-selling album Bitfakkar Fi Eih.

References[link]